Hurricanes captain Matthew Wade cracks 88 from 54 balls against Strikers in Launceston
The one chink in the Hurricanes armour has been exposed for a second time in a week as Adelaide posed the first serious questions about the ladder leader’s title credentials last night.
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UPDATE: The one chink in the Hurricanes armour has been exposed for a second time in a week as Adelaide posed the first serious questions about the ladder leader’s title credentials last night.
Strikers openers Jake Weatherald and Alex Carey produced a stunning blitzkrieg on the Hobart bowling attack to keep their side’s premiership defence alive, blasting 84 runs from the powerplay en route to helping mow down the 170-run target with 13 balls spare at Launceston’s UTAS Stadium.
After Sydney Sixers duo Josh Philippe (86 not out from 49 balls) and English import James Vince (74 not out off 50) destroyed Hobart at the SCG last Wednesday to overhaul 173 in 17.1 overs one down, the Strikers bettered the initial onslaught to inflict the home side’s third loss of the tournament.
All three defeats have come after being sent in, and have seen the bowlers put under the gun in the first six overs by ultra-aggressive strokeplay.
By the time Carey (54 from 35) and Weatherald — who finished three runs shy of the competition record 87-run powerplay set by Adelaide against Hobart in BBL03 — had their partnership terminated at 116 in the 11th over, the visitors had whittled the equation down to less than a run a ball.
Weatherald holed out to deep mid-wicket after regaining his best touch with a rapid-fire 42-ball 82, before Colin Ingram and Jon Wells steered the Strikers across the line with seven wickets in hand.
The result was a remarkable turnaround from when the two sides met in Adelaide last Monday, when Matthew Wade and D’Arcy Short combined for a club record 158-run stand to register just the second 10-wicket win in Big Bash history.
Earlier Wade fell short of his maiden T20 century but passed 50 for the fifth time in the tournament, and 12th time in all forms of cricket this summer, to continue to enhance his claims for a national recall.
The skipper’s 88 from 54 balls provided the backbone of the hosts’ 7-169, before he became part of a collapse of 4-8 in 12 deliveries which dragged the Strikers back into the contest in the last three overs.
Former Hurricane Ben Laughlin (3-31) became the first bowler to remove both Wade and Short, while Rashid Khan and Michael Neser finished with two wickets apiece.
Despite the result Hobart still remains firmly in the box seat to secure a home semi-final, but has to wait a week for its next chance to lock away the minor premiership against the Melbourne Renegades at Blundstone Arena.
EARLIER: MATTHEW Wade’s fifth half century of the Big Bash has propelled Hobart to a competitive target against Adelaide at UTAS Stadium.
Wade cracked 88 from 54 balls — his highest Twenty20 score — to steer the Hurricanes to 7-169.
The hosts were on track for a total in excess of 180 but the Strikers fought back with the ball in the last six overs, taking 5-19 to end the innings to limit the damage as they strive to keep their title defence alive.
Wade and D’Arcy Short (26) combined for their 10th partnership of at least 50 to again lay the platform, before Short skewed a catch to cover off the bowling of former Cane Ben Laughlin (3-31).
Wade kept the momentum rolling, reaching his 12th half century of the summer in all formats by sending a head high full toss from Jake Lehmann rocketing over the deep square leg fence.
But just when a maiden T20 century beckoned he was trapped LBW by Laughlin as the visitors turned the screws.
One delivery after planting Rashid Khan over deep mid wicket Ben McDermott was trapped in front trying to repeat the dose, starting a collapse of 4-8 in 12 balls.
Wade followed two deliveries later, before Michael Neser struck twice in three balls by removing George Bailey and James Faulkner for ducks.
Jofra Archer, batting for the first time all tournament, scraped 10 runs off the last over before being dismissed on the final ball of the innings.
The Hurricanes can lock up top spot with a victory, despite still having two matches remaining.
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